Advice Column: Low Calorie Bread?

By Noor H. Salem

blackbeanbrownies.wordpress.com

Question:

I found a 35 calorie toast bread brand at the supermarket and decided to switch from the regular toast I used to buy. Are there certain brands better than others I should look for?

Answer:

Bluntly, if a bag of bread is advertising for 35 calories, I’d throw it right back on the self. That’s even before I look at the paragraph-long ingredient list on the back of the bag.

There is a huge problem in this country. While companies are doing well with sales of items that are fat-free, low-calorie, sugar-free, and “not butter”, the country is facing an obesity epidemic. Clearly something just isn’t right. People are “dieting” yet gaining weight. What went wrong in the equation? Well, our ancestors did not count calories. They ate bread, meat, dairy, and nuts and were in much better physical fitness overall. Obviously, they were eating food in its natural state. Today a good majority of what’s supposed to be edible, even our dairy and meat, is injected with hormones, processed to an unnatural degree, or genetically modified. If making bread 35 calories means dumping in two dozen chemicals to replace its texture, softness, and preservation then we have the wrong concept of food.

Food is meant to give us energy, and in case you’re not aware calories are energy. Eating bread isn’t bad for you; in fact having whole grains and healthy carbohydrates are essential for proper human function.

Having a slice of bread made of the essential ingredients of flour, water, salt, and yeast and being satisfied after is much better than filling yourself up with 35 calorie toast. Not only are you eating food in its natural state (if using healthy flour) you’re avoiding the many chemicals that could be harmful to your health. Don’t count calories, eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re full.

Bread is usually made with less than five ingredients, if you’re bag of bread exceeds this number, even if they have a million banners and bubbles on the front of the bag claiming it to be healthy, put it right back on the shelf. Whole produce and food don’t advertise to us from every angle- we are well aware that they’re beneficial. You may not know whether the 35 calorie toast is good for you or not, that’s where the advertisement comes in. Even if it’s not 35 calories, claims like “whole grain,” “made with whole wheat,” and “healthy” are full of loopholes. The best thing to do is look at the ingredient list. If you don’t have the ingredients in your kitchen cabinet, forget that bag of bread.

Check out my blog blackbeanbrownies.wordpress.com for this recipe (picture) of homemade, gluten-free oregano buns stuffed with an organic cheese mixture.

15-50